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Carmen’s Funeral Service Video

September 9, 2010 in Community, Dave's Musings, Tay Sachs with 10 Comments

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

Well…it took awhile but the video of Carmen’s funeral service is finally done. It’s 53 minutes long and captures the entire service from beginning to end.

Here is the program or order of events:

  • Welcome and Prayer – Wesley Coddington
  • Video: “He Never Lets Go” – Prepared by Dave Coddington
  • Music: “Our God is in Control” – Kerri Kuiters, accompanied by Dianne Webber and Stan Wood
  • Eulogy – Wesley Coddington
  • Video: “Letter to Carmen” – Prepared by Tina Lutz and Dave Coddington
  • Music: “How Great Thou Art” – Lauren Taylor
  • Pastoral Message – Dr. Frank Pedreira
  • Video Slideshow: “With Hope” – Prepared by Dave Coddington
  • Benediction – Wesley Coddington (with a cameo appearance from Lauren Coddington)

This may sound strange but we hope you enjoy watching Carmen’s funeral service as we continue to celebrate her life and the life she brought to us.

I would also like to publicly thank Rob Cole from Elite Video Solutions for filming this event voluntarily. We are so grateful that it was filmed! We’ve gone back and watched this several times and it continues to speak to our hearts. Thank you so much Rob!

Where There is Life, There is Hope

August 31, 2010 in Dave's Musings, Tay Sachs with 5 Comments

I came across this video by way of Laurie, another parent of a child who succumbed to Tay Sachs disease.

Grab your tissues.

Thanks to so many of you who have donated to NTSAD in honor of Carmen. We genuinely appreciate it!

Coffee and Life Revisited

August 23, 2010 in Dave's Musings, Tay Sachs with 29 Comments

July 5th, 2007. It’s a day that will stand forever as one of the most pivotal days — if not the most pivotal day — in our lives. It’s the day that spawned this website. Here is what I wrote:

Erwin McManus said recently that a great cup of coffee can only be truly enjoyed by using our senses of taste and smell. “You may not know this,” he said, “but the dominant experience of tasting something is actually through smelling it.” *

The problem, he says, is that most of us drink our cups of coffee with little plastic lids on them. “We have learned to put lids on our coffee so they keep us safe and don’t burn us.” * But by doing so, we don’t allow ourselves to get the most out of our coffee drinking experiences. We never fully enjoy what could be a great cup of coffee because we’re so afraid of getting burned. And so, we settle for second-best.

***

As I sit here trying to digest what Lana and I were told at the doctor’s office earlier today (that Carmen most likely has a rare — fatal — genetic disease called Tay Sachs), I can’t help but wonder, “How will this turn out to be a really great cup of coffee?”

Is it possible to get burned but still fully taste and enjoy the rest of the coffee? Is it possible to get scalded by grief and loss but still fully taste and enjoy life?

I think so.

But I think it’s only possible if there is a huge God out there, One who loves us, knows what is best for us and allows — dare I say, even directs — certain things to happen because of what only He can see.

That’s where I am right now. I am not questioning God. Really. I am not. I’m not saying that I haven’t ever questioned God or that I won’t ever question Him again. But right now, at least for the moment, I trust fully that He knows what He’s doing even though I don’t understand it at all. And I pray that I stay right here, leaning wholly on Him to do what only He can do.

*Paraphrase and quotes by Erwin Raphael McManus from his message entitled, “Romance Unwrapped # 1″

So here we are on the other side of this cup of coffee. The coffee is still in our stomachs but the cup is now empty. And, honestly, I am in the same place. Really, I have no choice. I have encountered the living God and when that happens, there’s just no other way. Nothing else seems even remotely appealing. He is in control. He knows what’s best. He has our best interest in mind. He can be trusted.

Blessed Be Your Name

August 22, 2010 in Lana's Journal, Tay Sachs with 16 Comments

Blessed be Your name
When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s ‘all as it should be’
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

~Matt Redman

Carmen and me, May 2008

Carmen and Lana

Photo by Sarah Mattingly

The Day After

August 21, 2010 in Lana's Journal, Tay Sachs with 19 Comments

As most of you know, Carmen’s funeral was last night. It was beautiful. I didn’t think I would cry…I was wrong. It was wonderful to see people from so many different parts of Carmen’s life. Thank you to everyone who came. It meant a lot to us. Click here to read Carmen’s eulogy, which was written and communicated by Dave’s brother, Wes.

Dave is part of a film-making message board and one of the guys on that board volunteered to film the service. At some point, Dave will edit the footage and post videos of Carmen’s funeral. We would love for all of you to hear Wes’s eulogy, Dr. Pedreira’s message, the slide show of Carmen’s life, Kerri’s rendition of “Our God Is In Control” and Lauren’s rendition of “How Great Thou Art” (not our little Lauren…although our little Lauren wanted to sing “All the Single Ladies” or “Put Your Records On”!)  At the end, our little Lauren read a note she wrote for Carmen, the note she put in the casket.

I’m so tired I can’t think of anything more to write so I’ll just close here.

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